Kanyiti

Hello friends!

Over the weekend I went to visit a friend in a nearby town called Sawla. She is also from Canada and we both felt we needed some Canadian girl time to chat. I arrived in Sawla after a very early and extremely bumpy bus ride. I took a nap and then Heather (the friend!) and I went to town and had delicious yams. (Yams are huge in Ghana and you can take them in many different ways!) Also, for dinner we had fufu, which is made from yams- first they are boiled and then you pound them, (which is quite the workout)! After this you put a ball of fufu in a soup. There are three main types: ground nut soup, light soup, and a peanut based soup- all of which are delicious. Then you break a piece of the soft yam (feels like mashed potatoes) and dip it in the soup and eat it with your hands- so delicious! After eating yams we walked around town and ended up at her Ghanaian friend’s house. This is where Kanyiti comes into play.

Pounding Fufu!

I live in Damongo, which is in the West Gonja District in the Northern Region of Ghana. There are several different languages spoken throughout Ghana but where Heather and I live, it is mainly Gonja. Heather’s Ghanaian friend decided I should have a Gonja name. My Gonja name is Kanyiti. Kanyiti in English means Patience. At first I thought the name sounded beautiful and really didn’t think about its significance until the next day.

The groom and I

Heather and I

The next day Heather and I attempted to go to a Muslim wedding in Tuna (about 45 minutes from Sawla). The wedding “started” at 6a.m. and ended at 6p.m. Heather was told to go for 8 but we arrived at 7. Nothing was going on yet so we grabbed some breakfast and ended up seeing the groom in town. He took us to a guesthouse where we had a little catnap for about an hour. I was getting a little annoyed that nothing had happened yet and it was already 9:30, but I told myself “patience Bianca, patience.” We then went to the wedding venue, which was in a field where the old filling station used to be. There were only a few people there but eventually a truck of Ghanaian women showed up in their beautiful dresses! There was music playing and boy do Ghanaian women like to dance! It was really exciting to watch and the different patterned dresses were absolutely beautiful- however, it was now 12. Patience Bianca, patience. It was time to go pick up the bride so we all hopped on the back of a truck and sang songs as we drove to the bride’s place. However, she was not ready. Patience Bianca, patience. We drove back into town and watched people dance some more and waited.

Singing on the truck!

At this point in time I had to leave, it was around 2p.m. and I needed to catch the 3p.m. bus from Sawla to Damongo. So Heather and I left around 2 without seeing the bride or any wedding traditions, quite the bummer I must say. We arrived in Sawla and couldn’t help but to laugh, “only in Ghana,” we thought. After this we went out to wait for the 3p.m. bus, which of course wasn’t on time. Patience Bianca, patience. A man drove up and loaded a bunch of Ghanaians to hop in his pickup and then waved Heather and I down. He was going to Damongo so I hitched a ride in the front seat of his truck. We were off! But not for long… the truck broke down at least three times. So here I am: a white girl sitting in a pick up truck with at least 20 Ghanaians, in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception- good one Bianca. The last time the truck broke down we waited for a good 20 minutes. Patience Bianca, patience. Then the bus was coming! We all got out of the pick up and ran for the bus. We all got on and I was stuck sitting on a bucket in the aisle on the bumpiest road for 2 hours Patience Bianca, patience. I finally arrived in Damongo, after a very exhausting day.

It is safe to say that after my long weekend, I can now see the significance of my Gonja name. Patience, patience, patience. Even though I have only been here for two weeks, there has been so many times where I have needed to be patient. I said that this trip would challenge me, and so far it has definitely challenged my patience. Ghanaians are often on their own clock and their clock ticks a little slower than ours. Nothing happens on time (ever) and therefore my new Ghanaian life has challenged me to be patient.

All of the beautiful Ghanaian women on the truck!

Like I said before, I did not see any significance in my Gonja name, Kanyiti. Now I see nothing but significance. I constantly think of my name as it reminds me to be thoughtful of the new culture I have chosen to enter. It will take time to adapt to the Ghanaian lifestyle, but with a little bit of kanyiti it should be no problem.

Lots of Love,

Bianca

Cama Ghana

Hey!

Yesterday was a very interesting day! I went to a Cama Ghana Committee Election. Cama Ghana was created in 1998 by Camfed Ghana. It is working to promote girls education in order to keep young girls off the streets who may be susceptible to violence.

The election was fascinating to attend but definitely had its difficulties. We all settled down and as they invited the five members running to say their speeches, two were missing. One had already mentioned they would be absent because she was taking care of her sister, but the other one was unknown. This caused a huge uproar and yes, political debate. Many members were upset and didn’t think it was fair for her to be in the runnings, while others thought somebody else should stand in her place for the time being. The directors really pushed democracy and wanted the people (the women) to decide what to do. So the women decided to nominate somebody to replace the absent one. Once that was decided, once again the women had to vote on who should be nominated. Finally, after all of this was figured out, the vote took place. The votes were counted in front of everybody and the women helped by counting allowed. It turns out the same chairperson was reelected and the newly nominated woman came second as the VP.

Ghanaians love to talk politics, at any time of the day! We discussed politics one day at lunch with four other gentlemen. The topics ranged from kids in school, to rape, to posting pictures on Facebook. I noticed they wanted to hear the “Western view” on things, which I found interesting. Many times in development studies we are told about the western way of things and to remember that one size doesn’t fit all. We were discussing how children should not have contact with teachers outside of school (like doing chores for them), and they asked if it was the same in Canada. As far as I am concerned, we don’t do chores for teachers but if we needed assistance from a teacher it should always be at school or at least in a public area. The overall concern was whether or not a teacher has the right to ask a student to fetch water for them and whether or not a parent can get mad. We agreed that it was inappropriate and that the child has a right to say no. It is also interesting to see so many people’s contradicting views and watch them debate! I love it!

It was fascinating to see how politics plays such a huge role in Ghana, as demonstrated at the Cama Election and during my lunch break. Literally everywhere you go there is some sort of political debate going on and they take it very seriously!

Although this was a really fun day for me as I got to experience women empowerment first hand, at the end of the day I was left with a challenging contradiction. I was walking to a restaurant and met a young man who introduced himself to me. We started talking and he was asking me about my job here and he asked why I didn’t choose to work with the boys. I simply said that there was no position available for me to apply to that worked with boys. To be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen a job posting or volunteer position that focuses on empowering men or even volunteering with boys/men. He simply mentioned that boys need attention too. And it is so true, there is so much on women nowadays and so many programs to support girls that it totally ignores the other side. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, or that girls don’t need help, but simply that this should be a two way street. Women are oppressed for a reason, and perhaps through empowering boys/men, things can change on for the better on both sides. Gender issues will not get better unless both parties are actively participating. It definitely got me thinking more and more about gender mainstreaming and how to appropriately tackle future gender-related issues!

Lots of love!

Bianca

For more information on Cama Ghana visit: 

Website: http://camfed.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=impact_ghana

News Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/16/female-entrepreneurs-ghana-poor-education

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=camfed+ghana 

Cape Coast!

Hey!

Julian, Necha, and I decided to go away for our first weekend here because it was the only time we would all be together! Necha is not here for very long and I was heading up north on the Monday so we wanted to do something fun the only weekend we could. We decided to go to Cape Coast, which is just west of Accra. We took a TroTro to Cape Coast, which took about three hours- luckily it was air-conditioned!

The Oasis Beach Resort view

Our beautiful green room...

We settled into what was probably the weirdest guesthouse ever… We went into the room with bright green walls and two beds, each with a fan above them. It was hot and pretty dirty, but we took it anyways. It didn’t take long before we left the guesthouse and went to a place called Oasis Beach Resort, which is where we wanted to stay but it was full- so we went there for dinner. This location was beautiful. It was literally right on the beach and we sat under little huts by the palm trees listening to the ocean waves. It was very relaxing and beautiful. We had dinner and some drinks and then watched an acrobatic show of a man and a little boy, which was quite impressive. He balanced multiple objects and did many flips! Following this we decided to go to sleep in our guesthouse. We went into the room and there was no air circulation so we were forced to turn the fans on- bad idea. Dirt and dust flew everywhere and it was even dirtier than before. But we all laughed, brushed it off, and attempted to sleep! The next day is where the fun begins!

Canopy Walk, Kakum National Park

We woke up bright and early with the help from some roosters. We went to the Oasis Beach Resort for breakfast and then headed up to Kakum National Park, which was about an hour away. Here we did a canopy walk in the rainforest. This was both terrifying and absolutely beautiful! The swinging bridges were apparently made with the help of Canadians… although they were made out of old ladders and planks of wood. We walked across all seven of them safely, hanging on with our dear lives! It was an adventure to say the least and every time we saw a platform at the end of the bridge we were able to breathe again. It was really fun and the views were gorgeous!

Walking on canopies in the rainforest!

Following this we went to a place called Hans Cottage, this is where we met our friend the crocodile. We met a lovely lady named Mary who assisted us with the crocodile as we sat on him and took pictures! This was also scary but the crocodile seemed very tame and sleepy so we weren’t that nervous!

Necha, Julian and I at the Cape Coast Castle

We then returned to the area by the ocean where we did a tour of the Cape Coast castle where men and women were held for slavery. This was heart wrenching and really hard to wrap my head around. We went into the men’s dungeon where there were three small windows and no lights. Many men went blind in the dungeon after spending 2 weeks to 3 months there. There were also no bathrooms, so they would just go wherever. It was really difficult to picture the amount of people put into these dungeons, as the rooms were so small. I left the dungeon and already my eyes hurt while they tried to adjust to the bright sunshine. I couldn’t imagine what some of the men went through after three months! We then went to see the women’s dungeons where we were told that many women got raped and if they got pregnant they could leave the castle to have their baby. This confused me a bit, and I just kept thinking about how getting raped was almost like an incentive for the women because they did have a chance of getting pregnant. So if they got pregnant than they could get out of the castle, at least for a while. Another thing I found difficult about the castle is how beautiful it was. It is a historic place of horrible memories but looking at it now, it is so beautiful as it overlooks the ocean. It’s strange how these types of horrific historic sites eventually turn into beautiful places to visit. The contrast is quite interesting to me and I found it fascinating!

Following the castle tour we took a walk along the beach and got bombarded by beautiful Ghanaian girls trying to sell us fruit. We continued to decline but they walked hand in hand with us along the beach anyways. Once we got back to the Oasis Beach Resort to have a late lunch they continued to beg for money. Necha and I felt extremely bad because they had taken pictures with us and let us try their baskets that they carried on their heads. Necha gave each girl a coin and I bought a bottle of water for the one I was walking with and told her to share. Although it wasn’t much to give, you could tell they were so appreciative of it.

The beautiful girls we met on the beach!

This continues to be one of the struggles I face. There are so many people to help and it’s really hard to tell yourself “one person at a time” because you just want to help them all. Someday. Someday it will happen. (Optimistic, -and maybe naïve- I know). One way to better understand this is what I learnt on my first humanitarian trip and will always remember… the story of the starfish! (see image below)

Lots of love,

Bianca

Me and the sunset! Cape Coast

Ghana Tidbits!

Hello Friends!

* I figured I should make a note on my last post… I am doing fine! I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was having a terrible time in Ghana or that I couldn't handle it- because that isn’t the case at all. In fact, I love it here! And hopefully this blog will explain some reasons why! So I am doing perfectly fine, I just wanted to keep in touch and let you know of some mixed-but totally normal- feelings I was having! *

So about Ghana… Ghana is one of the most beautiful countries I have been to and a really big part of that is because of the people. Ghanaians are incredibly friendly people. They greet one another every day and always ask how your day is or where you are from. They love to chat and are very interested in my life. They are also very helpful people! If you are lost or need directions, they will help you in a second. This has definitely helped me to feel more accepted and less like a foreigner.

Rooftops in Ghana!

Side note but super interesting fact: everything you buy in Ghana is given to you in a black plastic bag; this is so nobody can see what you bought which also promotes equality. Since you cannot see what goods the other person bought, you cannot make general assumptions about the type of money they have. Pretty interesting right?

Another interesting fact about Ghanaians- they are SO fashionable. In Accra, the men almost always wear dress shirts tucked in and a tie. And the ladies are so stylish. Some wear suits while others wear beautiful African patterned dresses.

Ferris Wheel, why not?

I found Accra to be a lot more developed than I expected. There were some absolutely gorgeous houses with beautiful brick and most places were fenced in with security. There were banks everywhere and they even had a mall, which was small but nicer than the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa. It was very nice and the food court had a mini rollercoaster and bouncy castle for kids! It was unexpected but interesting- especially compared to northern Ghana!

Transportation in Accra is pretty much insane. There are taxis everywhere, literally everywhere. Other than taxis there are TroTros and buses. Julian, another intern, and I took our first TroTro ride and had an interesting experience to say the least. We got on and were traveling (with a Ghanaian guide) to another station and halfway through our ride, a man stands up and says “its time for prayer.” Which is fine- pray all you want… 30 minutes later he stopped preaching about safety and transportation. I looked around to see the Ghanaians reactions and a lot of them were fully engaged in what he was saying, replying with Amen and donating money. It was interesting to see just how big religion is in Ghana.

Julian and I on our first TroTro!

Religion is literally everywhere in Accra (and many other parts of Ghana I am sure). You look on the back of every taxi and there is some sort of sticker saying, “Forgive him” or something else pertaining to God. Another thing I noticed is that so many store names are related to religion. There was one called “God is Good catering service” and “God’s Will Electronic Store.” I found it quite humorous because they aren’t related in any way and it kind of reads funny but I love how it is present in their every day lives. They have such strong beliefs and it is so visible within the community. Many of them go to church with their families on Sundays and put on their best clothes to participate. Another thing that I found really amazing is that the two religions, Christianity and Muslim, do not clash at all. They get along, they work together, they live in the same communities, and they are seen as the same, people are just people. I think that is something really beautiful to see.

So far my experience in Ghana has been amazing and it has only been a week!! I will be posting about my comparisons between the north and south very shortly as well!

Lots of love,

Bianca

Riding a Rollercoaster

Akwaaba!

... translation: Welcome!

I apologize for not writing earlier, but based on this blog you may understand why!

My Sister and I at the Airport!

I had a decent travel to Accra, Ghana leaving in the afternoon on Sunday and flying to Toronto and then to Amsterdam. I couldn't sleep on my way to Amsterdam so was forced to stay awake during my 6 hour layover in Amsterdam. It is safe to say that this is where my rollercoaster of emotions first started. I've never traveled alone before- or at least not that far and having a 6 hour layover by yourself- pretty much as boring as it sounds. My layover was just at the perfect time too- when everybody in Ottawa was sound asleep. At this point in time I really started to miss my family. If you know my family at all you would understand why- we're hilarious together and always have the best times traveling! There were funny moments that happened and I found myself looking around for someone to share them with- but there was nobody. So that was my first struggle- trying to adapt to being super independent and getting used to being on my own. In a way it is good and forces me to get out there and make friends, but familiarity will always win! Amazingly enough I made friends on both of my flights which began to prepare me for the incredibly nice people in Ghana- but that will be saved for the next blog!

After arriving in Ghana, I met up with the two other girls traveling with WUSC and we settled in at our hotel. The next morning, and for the following three days, we had orientation with WUSC. So we met all of the Ghanaian staff involved, had a medical briefing, security talk, transportation lesson, and even a Twi (pronounced chwee) language lesson which is pretty much as hard as it sounds… The orientation was great start but slightly overwhelming as expected. It provided me with a number of emotions beginning with “what was I thinking”… my recent trips have been extremely different than this one- I was always in a group and I was doing a building project of some sort- not working. So I felt very uncomfortable and out of my element for quite some time.

This emotion then turned to being incredibly scared and wondering how I am going to make it through three months of this. The public transit looks terrifying, I can’t speak the language, I have no idea where I am half the time because they don’t have street names- how will this ever work.

I also became very lonely, which- don’t get worried- I am okay with. I mean I am here for three months, its bound to happen sooner or later. I am going to work in the north as of Monday in a small town called Damongo. With that being said, there are no other volunteers up there. We had a meet and greet with other WUSC interns and everybody got to see who they are working with and make friends already… nope, not me. I felt very lonely and very insecure at this point. Who is going to be my “penguin” as we called at school- a penguin is somebody who is by your side and showing you the ropes on things! But it sounds like there aren’t many penguins up north for me…

Orientation has officially finished and today I had to go to the Accra Mall for some admin purposes. I bargained my own taxi there, got my cell phone fixed, managed to get passport pictures taken and paid for, and then bargained my way home and walked to the WUSC office. Safe to say I survived my first solo adventure!! (Hardly an adventure- I know). After doing this I realized that I really do need to stop freaking out. I am new here, and like every place, it takes time to settle in and get used to the way things work here. I am getting very comfortable with traveling in Accra and am starting to understand it more. However, I will have to go through this process all over again when I move up north- but lets hope it goes smoothly!

Rooftops in Ghana

Today we had a city tour with a local and we took TroTros which are basically mini-buses or minivans that load up people and travel from station to station randomly stopping along the road picking people up or dropping people off. As interesting and fun as TroTros can be- they’re extremely hot, bumpy, and hard to understand. There are no signs saying where the stop is, people just know where to stand on the street… oh and if you want to know what station the Tro is going to, just listen to the guy shouting out the window, he’ll tell you! They are quite fun- not going to lie, but they are definitely difficult to maneuver on your own, especially for the first time!

Overall, my mixed emotions are coming together and I am starting to feel more confident and comfortable in Ghana. I just had to sit back, relax, and take it all in- one day at a time. To be honest, I think it would be strange if I didn’t have these feelings- I mean I’m half way across the world and am totally okay with everything? How weird is that? I’m sure there will be many other times where I have mixed emotions but with the help of social networking and the millions of notes my friends and family wrote for me, it shouldn’t be hard for me to feel close to home again!

It is safe to say that this trip will be challenging and beyond educational and I cannot wait for it to really get started on Monday! I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and have no doubt it is going to help me grow as a person and especially encourage me through my fourth year of International Development next year. Can't wait to see what this trip brings! xoxo

Love Always,

Bianca